Abu Dhabi Combat Club

The Abu Dhabi Combat Club located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) is a martial arts club designed to promote martial arts in the U.A.E. The Abu Dhabi Combat Club is one of the top facilities for learning and training in mixed martial arts (MMA) in the Arab world. Its founder created the submission style (a type of "grappling" style) of martial arts and it hosted the first Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting Championships in 1998. Many who have competed in the popular ADCC Submission Grappling Championship have gone on to have successful careers in MMA such as Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro and many others. Although the facility itself is used mainly by athletes and practitioners who reside in Abu Dhabi, many top level grapplers, fighters and BJJ specialists have been honored guests and had spent time training or teaching in the club. The Abu Dhabi Combat Club does not have its own fighters; it serves more as a platform where fighters can participate in training camps and take advantage of the large number of BJJ Black Belts who currently reside in Abu Dhabi. The facility where the ADCC was originally located is not owned by the UAE Wrestling, Judo and Kickboxing Federation, where classes are given in the same disciplines. However, the reputation of the ADCC is still strong and the facility is being visited by top fighters occasionally.

The first five Championships held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahayan were hosted in that same facility in Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club compound. From 1998 until the 2002 the events were held annually in Abu Dhabi. Ever since 2002 the event ADCC Submission Fighting Championship (it was renamed due to copy rights of the world Grappling) is held once every two years and every event is hosted in countries where the sport is well developed such as the US, Brazil and Japan.^[1]

History

The Abu Dhabi Fighting Club was created by U.A.E. national Sheik Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. While completing advanced studies in the United States of America, Sheik Tahnoon watched the first UFC fight and became a fan of MMA. The club was created out of an idle facility and world class trainers were hired.

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